New homes in Bridgnorth could cause 'road chaos', warns mayor
Hundreds of homes coming to Bridgnorth could cause road "chaos" and strain the town's infrastructure, said the mayor.
Ron Whittle was speaking ahead of a public meeting about Shropshire Council's housing plan for the area, held tonight at Castle Hall from 7pm.
Mr Whittle said he had "grave concerns" about the consequences of the work, which is proposed to include 1,500 homes built in Bridgnorth over the next 20 years.
But he said that a sub-group of the town council is yet to formalise its response to the work, and it will be hashed out at a meeting next Tuesday.
Mr Whittle said: "The working party is fairly well-advanced in putting together a response to the work.
"In general I don't think we are too worried about the houses they are proposing themselves – the big concern is all of the infrastructure that is needed to go with 1,500 homes.
"It will be a big increase in the population of the greater Bridgnorth area.
Concerns
"We have grave concerns about things like parking in the town, the numbers of cars it will mean.
"With the doctors' surgeries and the schools too, we don't know whether there is the capacity to cope.
"If the road system is already struggling to cope you only need a bit of a hitch and you have got chaos on your hands.
"I'm not talking as mayor or as a member of the working party but this is my personal opinion."
Of the proposed 1,500 homes, Shropshire Council said sites have been found for 500 but space for more than 900 is still needed.
It is also wants to build 28 hectares of employment land, with sites needed for 16 hectares.
Mr Whittle said it was important that any necessary improvements to infrastructure be in place when the homes are built.
He said: "It is no good putting the houses in and then thinking about the infrastructure.
"It needs to be put in either in advance of the housing or alongside it."
One of the council’s proposals is to build a “garden settlement” on the former RAF Stanmore site.
The meeting tonight on housing strategy is an opportunity for members of the public to comment on the council's plans for where housing and commercial sites are built over the next 20 years.
